Radio frequency moisture-removal system

ABSTRACT

Disclosed herein are devices systems and methods for removing moisture from a material via radio frequency electromagnetic wave exposure. A moisture-removal system can include having spaced apart a first and a second electrical conductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first and second electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides, the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electrical conductor. The system includes a material containing moisture at least partially filling the space between the first and the second electrical conductor. The system further includes at least one first wire attached to a first radio frequency generator and to the first end of the first electrical conductor. The system also includes at least one second wire attached to the electrical ground of the first radio frequency generator to the first end of the second electrical conductor.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 16/803,473,filed Feb. 27, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 11,243,027, issued Feb. 8, 2022,which is hereby fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to moisture-removal systems utilizingelectromagnetic radio-frequency fields to remove water from differentmaterials including agricultural biomass products such as harvest crops,grains, fruits, etc., waste materials such as manure, human waste etc.,and inorganic materials such as construction aggregate materials, wetsand etc.

BACKGROUND

Conventional methods for removing moisture or water from differentmaterials are expensive and suffer from poor energy efficiencies.Systems that rely on spread-air type drying methods require largeventilated area, are weather dependent and time consuming. Similarly,heat-assisted drying systems are expensive, suffer from poor and unevenheating and, in the case of agricultural products, may cause heat damageto harvest crop, fruits and grains. Some recent methods employingelectromagnetic radio-frequency fields are limited to low volumes,suffer from uneven drying and still cause some heat damage to the crop.

SUMMARY

The disclosure generally relates to moisture-removal systems, utilizingelectromagnetic radio-frequency fields, including an assembly ofelectrical transmission lines, electromagnetic radio-frequencygenerators, cables, and related electrical components. In particular,the present disclosure provides an energy-efficient electromagneticradio-frequency drying system that uses propagating transmission-lineelectromagnetic modes to remove moisture from a variety of materials atlow temperatures with minimal heat damage to the materials.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removal systemthat includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andthe second electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facingthe broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes at least one first wire with a first and a second end,the first end of the first wire attached to a first radio frequencygenerator and the second end of the first wire attached to the first endof the first electrical conductor. The moisture-removal system furtherincludes a common electrical grounding system, comprising at least onesecond wire with a first and a second end, with the first end of thesecond wire attached to the electrical ground of the first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the second wire attached tothe first end of the second electrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andsecond electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, and each of the first and second electrical conductor having atleast one hole extending from its broad top side to its broad bottomside; further the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least one first wire with afirst and a second end, the first end of the first wire attached to afirst radio frequency generator and the second end of the first wireattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a common electrical groundingsystem, comprising at least one second wire with a first and a secondend, with the first end of the second wire attached to the electricalground of the first radio frequency generator and the second end of thesecond wire attached to the first end of the second electricalconductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andsecond electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facingthe broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes at least one first coaxial cable with a first and asecond end, the first coaxial cable comprising a central conductor andan outer shield, the first end of the first coaxial cable is attached toa first radio frequency generator and the second end of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to the first and second electrical conductorssuch that the central conductor of the first coaxial cable is attachedto the first end of the first electrical conductor and the outer shieldof the first coaxial cable is attached to the first end of the secondelectrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andthe second electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, and each of the first and the second electrical conductor havingat least one hole extending from its broad top side to its broad bottomside; further the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least one first coaxialcable with a first and a second end, the first coaxial cable comprisinga central conductor and an outer shield, the first end of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to a first radio frequency generator and thesecond end of the first coaxial cable is attached to the first and thesecond electrical conductors such that the central conductor of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first end of the first electricalconductor and the outer shield of the first coaxial cable is attached tothe first end of the second electrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andsecond electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facingthe broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes a first inductor-capacitor assembly, comprising atleast one inductor and at least one capacitor, and having a first, asecond and a third end. The moisture-removal system further includes atleast one first wire with a first and a second end, the first end of thefirst wire attached to a first radio frequency generator and the secondend of the first wire attached to the first end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly. The moisture-removal system furtherincludes a common electrical grounding system, comprising at least onesecond wire with a first and a second end, the first end of the secondwire attached to the electrical ground of the first radio frequencygenerator and the second end of the second wire attached to the thirdend of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. The moisture-removalsystem further includes at least a third and a fourth electrical wire,each with a first end and a second end, the first end of the third wireattached to the second end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly, andthe second end of the third wire attached to the first end of the firstelectrical conductor. Further, the first end of the fourth wire isattached to the third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly andthe second end of the fourth wire is attached to the first end of thesecond electrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andthe second electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, and each of the first and second electrical conductor having atleast one hole extending from its broad top side to its broad bottomside; further the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a first inductor-capacitorassembly, comprising at least one inductor and at least one capacitor,and having a first, a second and a third end. The moisture-removalsystem further includes at least one first wire with a first and asecond end, the first end of the first wire attached to a first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the first wire attached to thefirst end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. The moisture-removalsystem further includes a common electrical grounding system, comprisingat least one second wire with a first and a second end, the first end ofthe second wire attached to the electrical ground of the first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the second wire attached tothe third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least a third and a fourthelectrical wire, each with a first end and a second end, the first endof the third wire attached to the second end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly, and the second end of the third wireattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor. Further,the first end of the fourth wire is attached to the third end of thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fourth wireis attached to the first end of the second electrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andsecond electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facingthe broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes a first inductor-capacitor assembly, comprising atleast one inductor and at least one capacitor, and having a first, asecond and a third end. The moisture-removal system further includes atleast a first and a second coaxial cable, each with a first and a secondend; each of the first and the second coaxial cable comprising a centralconductor and an outer shield. Further, the first end of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to a first radio frequency generator and thesecond end of the first coaxial cable is attached to the firstinductor-capacitor assembly such that the central conductor of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to the first end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the first coaxialcable is attached to the third end of the first inductor-capacitorassembly. Similarly, the first end of the second coaxial cable isattached to the first inductor-capacitor assembly such that the centralconductor of the second coaxial cable is attached to the second end ofthe inductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the secondcoaxial cable is attached to the third end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly. Further, at the second end of the secondcoaxial cable, the central conductor of the second coaxial cable isattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor and theouter shield of the second coaxial cable is attached to the first end ofthe second electrical conductor.

In another aspect, the present disclosure provides a moisture-removalsystem that includes having spaced apart a first and a second electricalconductor extending along a same first direction, each of the first andsecond electrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottomsides, and each of the first and second electrical conductor having atleast one hole extending from its broad top side to its broad bottomside; further the broad bottom side of the first electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the second electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a first inductor-capacitorassembly, comprising at least one inductor and at least one capacitor,and having a first, a second and a third end. The moisture-removalsystem further includes at least a first and a second coaxial cable,each having a first and a second end; the first and the second coaxialcable each comprising a central conductor and an outer shield. Further,the first end of the first coaxial cable is attached to a first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the first coaxial cable isattached to the first inductor-capacitor assembly such that the centralconductor of the first coaxial cable is attached to the first end of thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to the third end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly. Similarly, the first end of the secondcoaxial cable is attached to the first inductor-capacitor assembly suchthat the central conductor of the second coaxial cable is attached tothe second end of the inductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shieldof the second coaxial cable is attached to the third end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly. Further, at the second end of the secondcoaxial cable, the central conductor of the second coaxial cable isattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor and theouter shield of the second coaxial cable is attached to the first end ofthe second electrical conductor.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes having spaced apart a first, asecond and a third electrical conductor extending along a same firstdirection, each of the first, the second and the third electricalconductor comprising opposing broad top and broad bottom sides, thebroad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the second electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of thesecond electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the thirdelectrical conductor; and a material containing moisture at leastpartially filling the space between the first and the second electricalconductor or between the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least one first wire with afirst and a second end, the first end of the first wire attached to afirst radio frequency generator and the second end of the first wireattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a common electrical groundingsystem, comprising at least a second and a third wire, each having afirst and a second end; the first end of the second wire and the firstend of the third wire attached to the electrical ground of the firstradio frequency generator, and the second end of the second wireattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor and thesecond end of the third wire attached to the first end of the thirdelectrical conductor.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes having spaced apart a first, asecond and a third electrical conductor extending along a same firstdirection; each of the first, the second and the third electricalconductor comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides, and each ofthe first, the second and the third electrical conductor having at leastone hole extending from its broad top side to broad bottom side; thebroad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the second electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of thesecond electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the thirdelectrical conductor; and a material containing moisture at leastpartially filling the space between the first and the second electricalconductor or between the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least one first wire with afirst end and a second end, the first end of the first wire attached toa first radio frequency generator and the second end of the first wireattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a common electrical groundingsystem, comprising at least a second and a third wire, each having afirst end and a second end; the first end of the second wire and thefirst end of the third wire attached to the electrical ground of thefirst radio frequency generator and the second end of the second wireattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor and thesecond end of the third wire attached to the first end of the thirdelectrical conductor.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor extending along a same first direction; each of thefirst, the second and the third electrical conductor comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides; the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor or between thesecond and the third electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes at least one first coaxial cable with a first end and asecond end, the first coaxial cable comprising a central conductor andan outer shield; the first end of the first coaxial cable attached to afirst radio frequency generator and the second end of the first coaxialcable is attached to the first assembly of the electrical conductorssuch that the central conductor of the first coaxial cable is attachedto the first end of the second electrical conductor and the outer shieldof the first coaxial cable is attached to the first end of the firstelectrical conductor and the first end of the third electrical conductorvia at least one electrical wire.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor extending along a same first direction; each of thefirst, the second and the third electrical conductor having at least onehole extending from its broad top side to broad bottom side; and each ofthe first, the second and the third electrical conductor comprisingopposing broad top and bottom sides, the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor or between thesecond and the third electrical conductor. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes at least one first coaxial cable, having a first endand a second end, and comprising a central conductor and an outershield; the first end of the first coaxial cable attached to a firstradio frequency generator and the second end of the first coaxial cableis attached to the first assembly of the electrical conductors such thatthe central conductor of the first coaxial cable is attached to thefirst end of the second electrical conductor and the outer shield of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first end of the first electricalconductor and the first end of the third electrical conductor via atleast one electrical wire.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor extending along a same first direction, and eachconductor comprising opposing broad top and broad bottom sides; thebroad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the second electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of thesecond electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the thirdelectrical conductor; and a material containing moisture at leastpartially filling the space between the first and the second electricalconductor or between the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a first inductor-capacitorassembly, comprising at least one inductor and at least one capacitor,and having a first, a second and a third end. The moisture-removalsystem further includes at least one first wire with a first end and asecond end, the first end of the first wire attached to a first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the first wire attached to thefirst end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. The moisture-removalsystem further includes a common electrical grounding system, comprisingat least one second wire with a first end and a second end, with thefirst end of the second wire attached to the electrical ground of thefirst radio frequency generator and the second end of the second wireattached to the third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least a third, a fourth anda fifth electrical wire, each having a first end and a second end; thefirst end of the third wire attached to the second end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the third wire isattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor. Further,the first end of the fourth wire is attached to the third end of thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fourth wireis attached to the first end of the first electrical conductor.Similarly, the first end of the fifth wire is attached to the third endof the first inductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fifthwire is attached to the first end of the third electrical conductor.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor extending along a same first direction, and eachconductor comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides, and each ofthe first, the second and the third electrical conductor having at leastone hole extending from its broad top side to broad bottom side; thebroad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the second electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of thesecond electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the thirdelectrical conductor; and a material containing moisture at leastpartially filling the space between the first and the second electricalconductor or between the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a first inductor-capacitorassembly, comprising at least one inductor and at least one capacitor,and having a first, a second and a third end. The moisture-removalsystem further includes at least one first wire with a first end and asecond end, the first end of the first wire attached to a first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the first wire attached to thefirst end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. The moisture-removalsystem further includes a common electrical grounding system, comprisingat least one second wire with a first end and a second end, the firstend of the second wire attached to the electrical ground of the firstradio frequency generator and the second end of the second wire attachedto the third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least a third, a fourth anda fifth electrical wire, each having a first end and a second end, thefirst end of the third wire attached to the second end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly, and the second end of the third wire isattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor. Further,the first end of the fourth wire is attached to the third end of thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fourth wireis attached to the first end of the first electrical conductor.Similarly, the first end of the fifth wire is attached to the third endof the first inductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fifthwire is attached to the first end of the third electrical conductor.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor, extending along a same first direction; eachconductor of the first assembly comprising opposing broad top and broadbottom sides such that the broad bottom side of the first electricalconductor facing the broad top side of the second electrical conductorand the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductor facing thebroad top side of the third electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor or between the second and thethird electrical conductor. The moisture-removal system further includesa first inductor-capacitor assembly, comprising at least one inductorand one capacitor and having a first, a second and a third end. Themoisture-removal system further includes at least a first and a secondcoaxial cable, each having a first end and a second end, and each cablecomprising a central conductor and an outer shield. Further, the firstend of the first coaxial cable is attached to a first radio frequencygenerator and the second end of the first coaxial cable attached to thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly such that the central conductor of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first end of theinductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the first coaxialcable is attached to the third end of the first inductor-capacitorassembly. Similarly, the first end of the second coaxial cable isattached to the first inductor-capacitor assembly such that the centralconductor of the second coaxial cable is attached to the second end ofthe first inductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the secondcoaxial cable is attached to the third end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly. Further, at the second end of the secondcoaxial cable, the central conductor of the second coaxial cable isattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor and theouter shield of the second coaxial cable is attached to the first end ofthe first electrical conductor and to the first end of the thirdelectrical conductor via at least one wire.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors comprising having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor, each extending along a same first direction andeach comprising opposing broad top and broad bottom sides; each of thefirst, the second and the third electrical conductor having at least onehole extending from its broad top side to its broad bottom side; thebroad bottom side of the first electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the second electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of thesecond electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the thirdelectrical conductor; and a material containing moisture at leastpartially filling the space between the first and the second electricalconductor or between the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a first inductor-capacitorassembly comprising at least one inductor and one capacitor and having afirst end, a second end and a third end. The moisture-removal systemfurther includes at least a first and a second coaxial cable, eachhaving a first end and a second end and each coaxial cable comprising acentral conductor and an outer shield. Further, the first end of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to a first radio frequency generator andthe second end of the first coaxial cable attached to the firstinductor-capacitor assembly such that the central conductor of the firstcoaxial cable is attached to the first end of the inductor-capacitorassembly and the outer shield of the first coaxial cable is attached tothe third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly. Similarly, thefirst end of the second coaxial cable is attached to the firstinductor-capacitor assembly such that the central conductor of thesecond coaxial cable is attached to the second end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly and the outer shield of the second coaxialcable is attached to the third end of the first inductor-capacitorassembly. Further, at the second end of the second coaxial cable, thecentral conductor of the second coaxial cable is attached to the firstend of the second electrical conductor and the outer shield of thesecond coaxial cable is attached to the first end of the firstelectrical conductor and to the first end of the third electricalconductor via at least one wire.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of having spacedapart a first, a second and a third electrical conductor, each having afirst and a second end and each extending along a same first direction;each conductor of the first assembly comprising opposing broad top andbroad bottom sides such that the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor or the spacebetween the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a second assembly of havingspaced apart a fourth, a fifth and a sixth electrical conductor, eachwith a first and a second end, and each extending along the same firstdirection; each conductor of the second assembly comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing narrow edges; the broad bottomside of the fourth electrical conductor facing the broad top side of thefifth electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of the fifthelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the sixth electricalconductor; the distance between the narrow edges of each conductor ofthe second assembly gradually increases from their first ends to theirsecond ends such that the second end of the fourth conductor is as wideas the first end of the first conductor, the second end of the fifthconductor is as wide as the first end of the second conductor and thesecond end of the sixth conductor is as wide as the first end of thethird electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacing between the fourth,fifth and sixth electrical conductors gradually increasing from theirfirst ends to their second ends such that the second end of the fourthelectrical conductor touching the first end of the first electricalconductor, the second end of the fifth electrical conductor touching thefirst end of the second electrical conductor and the second end of thesixth electrical conductor touching the first end of the thirdelectrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between the opposingnarrow edges of each of the fourth, fifth and the sixth electricalconductors and the spacing between the fourth, fifth and the sixthelectrical conductors at their first ends are of the order that a firstcoaxial connector of a suitable size can be mounted on the secondassembly with the outer ground of the first coaxial connector touchingthe fourth and the sixth electrical conductors and the center pin of thefirst coaxial connector touching the fifth electrical conductor.Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one first coaxialcable, having a first end and a second end, and comprising a centralconductor and an outer shield; the first end of the coaxial cable isattached to a first radio frequency generator and the second end of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first coaxial connector.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of having spacedapart a first, a second and a third electrical conductor, each having afirst and a second end and each extending along a same first direction;each conductor of the first assembly comprising opposing broad top andbroad bottom sides such that the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and eachconductor of the first assembly having at least one hole extending fromits broad top side to broad bottom side; and a material containingmoisture at least partially filling the space between the first and thesecond electrical conductor or the space between the second and thethird electrical conductor. The moisture-removal system further includesa second assembly of having spaced apart a fourth, a fifth and a sixthelectrical conductor, each with a first and a second end, and eachextending along the same first direction; each conductor of the secondassembly comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides and opposingnarrow edges; the broad bottom side of the fourth electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the fifth electrical conductor and thebroad bottom side of the fifth electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the sixth electrical conductor; the distance between the narrowedges of each conductor of the second assembly gradually increases fromtheir first ends to their second ends such that the second end of thefourth conductor is as wide as the first end of the first conductor, thesecond end of the fifth conductor is as wide as the first end of thesecond conductor and the second end of the sixth conductor is as wide asthe first end of the third electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacingbetween the fourth, fifth and sixth electrical conductors graduallyincreasing from their first ends to their second ends such that thesecond end of the fourth electrical conductor touching the first end ofthe first electrical conductor, the second end of the fifth electricalconductor touching the first end of the second electrical conductor andthe second end of the sixth electrical conductor touching the first endof the third electrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between theopposing narrow edges of each of the fourth, fifth and the sixthelectrical conductors and the spacing between the fourth, fifth and thesixth electrical conductors at their first ends are of the order that afirst coaxial connector of a suitable size can be mounted on the secondassembly with the outer ground of the first coaxial connector touchingthe fourth and the sixth electrical conductors and the center pin of thefirst coaxial connector touching the fifth electrical conductor.Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one first coaxialcable, having a first end and a second end, and comprising a centralconductor and an outer shield; the first end of the coaxial cable isattached to a first radio frequency generator and the second end of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first coaxial connector.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of having spacedapart a first, a second and a third electrical conductor, each having afirst and a second end and each extending along a same first direction;each conductor of the first assembly comprising opposing broad top andbottom sides and narrow edges, with the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor or the spacebetween the second and the third electrical conductor. Themoisture-removal system further includes a second assembly of havingspaced apart a fourth, a fifth and a sixth electrical conductor, eachwith a first and a second end, and each extending along the same firstdirection; each conductor of the second assembly comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing narrow edges; the broad bottomside of the fourth electrical conductor facing the broad top side of thefifth electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of the fifthelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the sixth electricalconductor; the distance between the narrow edges of each conductor ofthe second assembly gradually increases from their first ends to theirsecond ends such that the second end of the fourth conductor is as wideas the first end of the first conductor, the second end of the fifthconductor is as wide as the first end of the second conductor and thesecond end of the sixth conductor is as wide as the first end of thethird electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacing between the fourth,fifth and sixth electrical conductors gradually increasing from theirfirst ends to their second ends such that the second end of the fourthelectrical conductor touching the first end of the first electricalconductor, the second end of the fifth electrical conductor touching thefirst end of the second electrical conductor and the second end of thesixth electrical conductor touching the first end of the thirdelectrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between the opposingnarrow edges of each of the fourth, fifth and the sixth electricalconductors and the spacing between the fourth, fifth and the sixthelectrical conductors at their first ends are of the order that a firstcoaxial connector of a suitable size can be mounted on the secondassembly with the outer ground of the first coaxial connector touchingthe fourth and the sixth electrical conductors and the center pin of thefirst coaxial connector touching the fifth electrical conductor.Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one first coaxialcable, having a first end and a second end, and comprising a centralconductor and an outer shield; the first end of the coaxial cable isattached to a first radio frequency generator and the second end of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first coaxial connector. Themoisture-removal system further includes a third assembly of havingspaced apart a seventh, an eighth and a ninth electrical conductor, eachwith a first and a second end, and each extending along the same firstdirection; each conductor of the third assembly comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing narrow edges; the broad bottomside of the seventh electrical conductor facing the broad top side ofthe eighth electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of the eighthelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the ninth electricalconductor; the distance between the narrow edges of each conductor ofthe third assembly gradually decreasing from their first ends to theirsecond ends such that the first end of the seventh conductor is as wideas the second end of the first conductor, the first end of the eighthconductor is as wide as the second end of the second conductor and thefirst end of the ninth conductor is as wide as the second end of thethird electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacing between the seventh,eighth and ninth electrical conductors gradually decreasing from theirfirst ends to their second ends such that the first end of the seventhelectrical conductor touching the second end of the first electricalconductor, the first end of the eighth electrical conductor touching thesecond end of the second electrical conductor and the first end of thesixth electrical conductor touching the second end of the thirdelectrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between the opposingnarrow edges of each of the seventh, eighth and ninth electricalconductors and the spacing between them at their second ends are of theorder that a second coaxial connector of a suitable size can be mountedon the third assembly with the outer ground of the second coaxialconnector touching the seventh and ninth electrical conductors and thecenter pin of the second coaxial connector touching the ninth electricalconductor. Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one 50ohm coaxial termination connected to the second coaxial connector.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of having spacedapart a first, a second and a third electrical conductor, each having afirst and a second end and each extending along a same first direction;each conductor of the first assembly comprising opposing broad top andbottom sides and narrow edges, with the broad bottom side of the firstelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the second electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor; and eachconductor of the first assembly having at least one hole extending fromits broad top side to broad bottom side; and a material containingmoisture at least partially filling the space between the first and thesecond electrical conductor or the space between the second and thethird electrical conductor. The moisture-removal system further includesa second assembly of having spaced apart a fourth, a fifth and a sixthelectrical conductor, each with a first and a second end, and eachextending along the same first direction; each conductor of the secondassembly comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides and opposingnarrow edges; the broad bottom side of the fourth electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the fifth electrical conductor and thebroad bottom side of the fifth electrical conductor facing the broad topside of the sixth electrical conductor; the distance between the narrowedges of each conductor of the second assembly gradually increases fromtheir first ends to their second ends such that the second end of thefourth conductor is as wide as the first end of the first conductor, thesecond end of the fifth conductor is as wide as the first end of thesecond conductor and the second end of the sixth conductor is as wide asthe first end of the third electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacingbetween the fourth, fifth and sixth electrical conductors graduallyincreasing from their first ends to their second ends such that thesecond end of the fourth electrical conductor touching the first end ofthe first electrical conductor, the second end of the fifth electricalconductor touching the first end of the second electrical conductor andthe second end of the sixth electrical conductor touching the first endof the third electrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between theopposing narrow edges of each of the fourth, fifth and the sixthelectrical conductors and the spacing between the fourth, fifth and thesixth electrical conductors at their first ends are of the order that afirst coaxial connector of a suitable size can be mounted on the secondassembly with the outer ground of the first coaxial connector touchingthe fourth and the sixth electrical conductors and the center pin of thefirst coaxial connector touching the fifth electrical conductor.Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one first coaxialcable, having a first end and a second end, and comprising a centralconductor and an outer shield; the first end of the coaxial cable isattached to a first radio frequency generator and the second end of thefirst coaxial cable is attached to the first coaxial connector. Themoisture-removal system further includes a third assembly of havingspaced apart a seventh, an eighth and a ninth electrical conductor, eachwith a first and a second end, and each extending along the same firstdirection; each conductor of the third assembly comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing narrow edges; the broad bottomside of the seventh electrical conductor facing the broad top side ofthe eighth electrical conductor and the broad bottom side of the eighthelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the ninth electricalconductor; the distance between the narrow edges of each conductor ofthe third assembly gradually decreasing from their first ends to theirsecond ends such that the first end of the seventh conductor is as wideas the second end of the first conductor, the first end of the eighthconductor is as wide as the second end of the second conductor and thefirst end of the ninth conductor is as wide as the second end of thethird electrical conductor. Similarly, the spacing between the seventh,eighth and ninth electrical conductors gradually decreasing from theirfirst ends to their second ends such that the first end of the seventhelectrical conductor touching the second end of the first electricalconductor, the first end of the eighth electrical conductor touching thesecond end of the second electrical conductor and the first end of thesixth electrical conductor touching the second end of the thirdelectrical conductor. Similarly, the distance between the opposingnarrow edges of each of the seventh, eighth and ninth electricalconductors and the spacing between them at their second ends are of theorder that a second coaxial connector of a suitable size can be mountedon the third assembly with the outer ground of the second coaxialconnector touching the seventh and ninth electrical conductors and thecenter pin of the second coaxial connector touching the ninth electricalconductor. Further, the moisture-removal system includes at least one50-ohm coaxial termination connected to the second coaxial connector.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors, each extending along a same first direction with eachconductor having a first and a second end and each comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing first and second narrow edges;the conductors of the first assembly are arranged in a same seconddirection such that the second narrow edge of the first electricalconductor facing the first narrow edge of the second electricalconductor and the second narrow edge of the second electrical conductorfacing the first narrow edge of the third electrical conductor and soon; and a first conducting platform having a length not smaller than anyof the conductor of the first assembly and a width not smaller than thedistance from the first narrow edge of the first electrical conductor tothe second narrow edge of the last electrical conductor of the firstassembly; the first assembly of the electrical conductors placed abovethe first conducting platform such that the broad bottom side of eachconductor of the first assembly facing the conducting platform; and amaterial containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first assembly of the electrical conductors and the firstconducting platform. Further, the first conducting platform comprisesmoving plates or rails that can push the material containing moisturealong the second direction. The moisture-removal system further includesa plurality of electric cables and wires that connect the first end ofeach conductor of the first assembly to a first radio frequency powersource and the first conducting platform to the common electrical groundof the same first radio frequency power source.

In yet another aspect, the present disclosure provides amoisture-removal system that includes a first assembly of electricalconductors, each extending along a same first direction with eachconductor having a first and a second end and each comprising opposingbroad top and bottom sides and opposing first and second narrow edges,and each conductor having at least one hole from its broad bottom sideto its broad top side; the conductors of the first assembly are arrangedin a same second direction such that the second narrow edge of the firstconductor facing the first narrow edge of the second electricalconductor and the second narrow edge of the second electrical conductorfacing the first narrow edge of the third electrical conductor and soon; and a first conducting platform having a length not smaller than anyof the conductor of the first assembly and a width not smaller than thedistance from the first narrow edge of the first electrical conductor tothe second narrow edge of the last electrical conductor of the firstassembly; the first assembly of the electrical conductors placed abovethe first conducting platform such that the broad bottom side of eachconductor of the first assembly facing the first conducting platform;and a material containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first assembly of the electrical conductors and the firstconducting platform. Further, the first conducting platform comprisesmoving plates or rails that can push the material containing moisturealong the second direction. The moisture-removal system further includesa plurality of electric cables and wires that connect the first end ofeach conductor of the first assembly to a first radio frequency powersource and the first conducting platform to the common electrical groundof the same first radio frequency power source.

The above summary is not intended to describe each illustratedembodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. Thefigures and the detailed description that follow more particularlyexemplify various embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Subject matter hereof may be more completely understood in considerationof the following detailed description of various embodiments inconnection with the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of the moisture-removal system thatincludes two electrical conductor and an RF generator;

FIG. 1B provides a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 1A;

FIG. 1C provides yet another illustration of the moisture-removal systemof FIG. 1A that also includes a matching network.

FIG. 2A illustrates another embodiment of the moisture-removal systemthat includes three electrical conductors.

FIG. 2B provides a cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C provides a top view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2A.

While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications andalternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of examplein the drawings and will be described in detail. It should beunderstood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimedinventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, theintention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined bythe claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure provides a new method for removing moisture froma variety of materials including agricultural biomass products (harvestcrop, fruit, grains etc.), manure, human waste, construction aggregatematerials, wet sand etc. For this purpose, the disclosedmoisture-removal systems employ electromagnetic radio frequency power.However, unlike conventional electromagnetic radio frequency dryingtechniques that rely on high-power dielectric heating ofmaterial-moisture mixtures, the disclosed systems employ propagatingtransverse electromagnetic modes through a material to break itshydrogen bond with water and push the moisture content out of thematerial using gravity or forced air. Since the disclosedmoisture-removal systems do not remove water from a material byevaporation, the drying can occur at low temperatures and any heatdamage to the material can be avoided.

In the following description, drawings are provided and referred for thesake of illustration only. Other embodiments can be contemplated andmade without departing from the scope or spirit of the presentdisclosure. As such, the following description should not be taken in alimiting sense. The illustrations, descriptions and language used todescribe these do not limit the present disclosure.

Many industries and applications require moisture to be removed from thematerials they handle. For example, agricultural crops need to be driedafter harvest to preserve their taste and nutrients, reduce storagevolume, increase storage life, prevent molding or bacteria growth etc.Similarly, moisture is removed from certain aggregate materials toobtain or retain certain physical and mechanical properties and to avoidany degradation. Further, moisture needs to be removed from manure andother waste for their easier disposal. One traditional moisture-removaltechnique, quite common with the agricultural products, is to spread outthe material containing moisture over a large area and let it dry in theair. However, the space and time constraints make this methodimpractical for large volumes. Another common moisture-removal techniqueis the heat-assisted air-drying method in which a material to be driedis loaded into drying bins and hot air is forced through the materialuntil the moisture is reduced to a certain level. This method, however,suffers from low energy efficiencies and leads to significant costs dueto the requirement of a heat source either from hydrocarbon fuel orelectrical sources. Another important drawback of heat-assisted airdrying is the potential heat damage to, for example, the harvest crop asthe even distribution of temperature is a big challenge in this dryingmethod.

Industries have also recently considered utilizing electromagnetic radiofrequency fields for drying various materials. For example, inagriculture industry, the harvest crop is subject to high-powerelectromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic energy absorbed by theharvest crop converts into heat, raising the temperature of the harvestcrop and the mixed water. When the temperature is increased to theboiling point of the water, it evaporates out of the harvest crop. Theelectromagnetic heating of a material containing moisture relies onmaterial's dielectric properties, which can be represented by thefollowing equation (1):ε(f)=ε_(r) +jε _(i)  (1)

Where ε is called the dielectric constant and is a function of frequencyf of the applied electromagnetic fields. The dielectric constant ε is,in general, a complex quantity with ε_(r) being its real part and ε_(i)being its imaginary part. The ratio of imaginary part ε_(i) to the realpart ε_(r) of the dielectric constant is called dielectric loss tangent,tan(d):tan(d)=ε_(i)/ε_(r)  (2)

The dielectric loss tangent, tan(d), is a measure of the dielectricabsorption of a material. Higher the loss tangent value, higher is theabsorption of the applied electromagnetic fields by the material. Ingeneral, the dielectric absorption increases with frequency, f. When twoor more materials are mixed, the total absorption of the appliedelectromagnetic fields by the mixture depends on the volume fraction anddielectric properties of each component of the mixture. However,compared to most materials, the loss tangent of water may not be veryhigh. Further, in most materials containing moisture that need to bedried, the volume fraction of the moisture content is significantlylower than that of the material in the mixture. Therefore, when amaterial-moisture mixture is exposed to electromagnetic radio frequencyfields, most of the applied electromagnetic power is absorbed by thematerial and not by the water. As such, it is the grain, crop or thematerial in the mixture that absorbs most of the applied electromagneticradio frequency fields and is heated directly while the temperature ofwater rises indirectly through convection. Therefore, to evaporate waterout of a material, the temperature of the most volume of the materialmust first rise above the boiling point of water. As the temperature ofthe material-moisture mixture reaches the water's boiling point, theheated water eventually evaporates out of the material-moisture mixture.However, as the water content in the material-moisture mixture drops dueto evaporation, the volume fraction of the material in thematerial-moisture mixture increases with the material absorbing more andmore power from the applied electromagnetic fields. This leads to evenhigher temperatures in the already dried section of thematerial-moisture mixture as compared to the portions with significantwater content, causing low heating efficiency and potential heat damageto the material in the material-moisture mixture. Further, theefficiency of the electromagnetic radio frequency drying systemcontinues to drop as drying process progresses. As such, avoiding heatdamage to the harvest crop or other materials in the final stages ofelectromagnetic radio frequency drying continues to be a challenge inthe industry.

Yet another challenge to the radio frequency drying technique is thatthe dielectric loss tangent is a function of frequency with thedielectric loss tangent values increasing with frequency, in general.However, the ability of electromagnetic fields to penetrate into amaterial is inversely related to frequency. That is, whileelectromagnetic radio frequency drying maybe more efficient at higherfrequencies, the electromagnetic field penetration into materialscontaining moisture is lower. Therefore, only a small amount of amaterial can be dried using conventional electromagnetic radio frequencydrying techniques. For large volumes, electromagnetic radio frequencydrying at higher frequencies leads to non-uniform heating with outerlayers of the material drying faster while the internal layers remainingat lower temperature and not dried. Similarly, at lower frequencies,since the dielectric loss tangent values are relatively low, in general,higher amplitudes of electromagnetic fields are needed to achieveevaporation of the water. Another drawback of electromagnetic radiofrequency moisture-removal method is that the dielectric properties ofmost materials are not readily available. Without the adequate knowledgeof these properties, it is difficult to design an efficientelectromagnetic radio frequency moisture-removal system. Further, thedielectric properties of a material-moisture mixture will varythroughout the drying process as moisture content as well as the totalvolume of the material-moisture mixture changes during the dryingprocess. This means that an electromagnetic radio frequencymoisture-removal system must be continuously adjusted and tuned to itsload throughout the drying process. This slows down the drying, leadingto poor time and energy efficiencies.

While the electromagnetic radio frequency moisture-removal systems haveconcentrated upon the absorption of electromagnetic energy by amaterial-moisture mixture, an important property of water has beenneglected so far in these systems. That is the movement of water when itis subject to an external magnetic field. Exposure to a varying magneticfield and its associated electromagnetic effects have been shown todisrupt inter and intramolecular hydrogen bonds of water molecules. Thisis because water being diamagnetic becomes polarized in the presence ofmagnetic fields. This polarization of water molecules physically movesand reorients water molecules within a magnetic field. The orientationof the magnetic field is important with respect to hydrogen bond bendingor breakage because any magnetic field aligned in the direction of thehydrogen bond increases the strength of the hydrogen bond whereas anymagnetic field orthogonal to the direction of the hydrogen bonddecreases the bond strength due to the reorientation forces that arecreated by the magnetic field. In addition, even the partial alignmentof water molecules with an electric field will cause preexistinghydrogen bonding to become bent or broken, thus reducing the surfacetension and hydrogen bonding of water. In fact, weak electric fields andstrong perpendicular magnetic fields have been shown to increase theevaporation rate. As an added benefit, water that is exposed to constanttransverse magnetic or electric fields also gives rise to a strongantimicrobial effect.

The inventers of the present disclosure have discovered that anefficient way to break the hydrogen bonding of water in amaterial-moisture mixture is to provide simultaneous transverse electricand magnetic fields. In the embodiments that are disclosed here, afundamental propagating electromagnetic mode is launched in amaterial-moisture mixture using proper arrangement of metal conductors.Since a propagating electromagnetic field comprises transverse electricand magnetic field components, the material-moisture mixture is subjectto electromagnetic de-bonding forces which guide the water contents outof a material-moisture mixture. The advantage of the disclosed methodsis that water is not evaporated out of the material by heating thematerial-moisture mixture but instead the proper orientation ofelectromagnetic fields is used to guide the water out of thematerial-moisture mixture. In fact, the inventors have observed that thewater can be removed in some cases while the material-moisture fixtureremains at freezing temperature. As such, the disclosed methods arehighly energy efficient and eliminate any potential damage to thematerials, such as harvest crop, in a material-moisture mixture.

In the disclosed embodiments, the moisture-removal system designsinclude structures that allow a propagating electromagnetic wave totravel within a material-moisture mixture such as harvest crop orbiomass material. This contrasts the present disclosure with existingelectromagnetic radio frequency moisture-removal systems which usedielectric or electrostatic heating of the materials. A propagatingelectromagnetic wave can be launched by an arrangement of electricalconductors, spaced apart appropriately for a given frequency, and thematerial-moisture mixture placed within these electrical conductors.Since the needed spacing between the electrical conductors depends uponthe dielectric properties of the material in between the conductors, thespacing must be varied as the water content in the material-moisturemixture drops during the drying process. Alternately, the space betweenthe electrical conductors is only partially filled with thematerial-moisture mixture and hence the impact of material-moisturemixture's dielectric properties on the wave impedance of the propagatingelectromagnetic mode is minimal. Such partial fulfillment of the spaceavoids constant adjustment of the spacing between the electricalconductors to maintain the wave impedance of the propagatingelectromagnetic mode.

In one embodiment, two electrical conductors are arranged such that apropagating electromagnetic wave can be launched in thematerial-moisture mixture. In another embodiment, three conductors arearranged such that a propagating electromagnetic wave can be launched inthe material-moisture mixtures. Further provisions, such as ventilationholes in the electrical conductors can be provided to allow forced airflow through the moisture-removal system. These ventilation holes, aslong as their size is only a small fraction of the wavelength(generally, less than one tenth of the wavelength), do not impact thewave impedance of the propagating electromagnetic modes. In yet anotherembodiment, the moisture-removal system comprises severalmoisture-removal subsystems acting in a cascaded manner. These smallmoisture-removal systems include electric conductors spaced apart andplaced above a conducting platform. Before drying process starts, thesesubsystems are tuned to different moisture content levels for a givenmaterial-moisture mixture. The conducting platform comprises of movingrails or plates that can push the material-moisture mixture from onemoisture-removal subsystem to the next. As such, when amaterial-moisture mixture with high water content is placed on theconducting platform, the mixture is moved from one subsystem to the nextand the drying progresses almost in a continuous manner.

As is generally understood, the strength of electromagnetic fields isuniform in between the conductors supporting a propagatingelectromagnetic field. As such, location of the material within suchstructures should not be important. However, the inventors of thisdisclosure have surprisingly found that the material that comes in thecontact with the metal conductors dries faster. As such, the presentembodiments provide preferred embodiments where the material stays incontact with at least one metal conductor throughout the drying process.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the biomass moisture-removal system100, according to one aspect of the disclosure. The biomassmoisture-removal system 100 includes spaced apart first electricalconductor 110 and second electrical conductor 120, each having the samewidth “w”, and extending along a first direction for a length “L”. Thefirst electrical conductor 110 includes a first broad top side 114, anda first broad bottom side 112, and the second electrical conductor 120includes a second broad top side 124, and a second broad bottom side122. The first and second electrical conductors 110, 120, are disposedsuch that the first broad bottom side 112 faces the second broad topside 124. A biomass material 130 that needs to be dried is disposed ofin between the first electrical conductor 110 and the second electricalconductor 120. In some cases, the biomass material 130 completely fillsthe space between the first and the second electrical conductors 110 and120; however, in other cases, the biomass material 130 only partiallyfills the spacing between the first and the second electrical conductors110 and 120. To launch a propagating electromagnetic wave in between thetwo electrical conductors, the height “h” between the first and thesecond electrical conductor, 110 and 120, and their width “w” must becarefully chosen. However, these values depend on the dielectricconstant el of the biomass material. Further, the value of el depends onthe amount of moisture present in the biomass material. Therefore, asthe drying process progresses and the water is removed from the biomassmaterial, value of el will change. As such, the height “h” and width “w”may need to be continually adjusted to avoid any RF reflections to theRF generator. Alternately, if the biomass material 130 occupies a verysmall space between the first electrical conductor 110 and the secondelectrical conductor 120, then effect of el of the biomass material onthe width “w” and height “h” can be ignored. The propagatingelectromagnetic wave will help break the hydrogen bond of the moisturewith the biomass material. Once the bond is broken the water can floweasily. To remove the water from the system, biomass moisture-removalsystem may include a fan that pushes the air through the biomassmaterial, according to another aspect of the disclosure. To provide airflow, the first and the second electrical conductors 110, 120 arerespectively provided with small holes 115 and 125.

FIG. 1B shows a cross-sectional view of the biomass moisture-removalsystem 100, according to one aspect of the disclosure. As illustrated,the biomass moisture-removal system 100 is connected to a first RFgenerator 140 via two electrical wires 116 and 126. Wire 116 connectsthe first electrical conductor 110 to the RF output port of RF generator140 while the wire 126 connects the second electrical conductor 120 tothe ground of RF generator 140. Alternatively, the wires 116 and 126 canform a first coaxial cable, according to yet another aspect of thepresent disclosure, with wire 116 being the central conductor of thefirst coaxial cable and wire 126 being the outer shield of the firstcoaxial cable. The other end of the biomass moisture-removal system 100,can either be left open or it can be connected with a matched load, e.g.50 ohms, to avoid any RF reflections back to the biomassmoisture-removal system. The direct connection of the first RF generator140 with the biomass moisture-removal system 100, as illustrated in FIG.1B, may be sufficient for small lengths of the moisture-removal systemsand for small RF powers. For relatively larger sizes of themoisture-removal systems, the input impedance of the moisture-removalsystem must be carefully matched with the wires/coaxial cables supplyingthe RF power from the RF generator 140. One possible embodiment isillustrated in FIG. 1C, according to yet another aspect of the presentdisclosure. Here, an impedance matching network 160, comprising at leastone variable inductor and one variable capacitor. By varying theinductance and the capacitance of the matching network 160, thereflected RF power to the RF generator 140 can be reduced.

FIG. 2A provides a perspective view of yet another aspect of the presentdisclosure that avoids the need to continually match the input impedanceusing a matching network. FIG. 2B provides the side and FIG. 2C providesthe top view of the same embodiment of the disclosed moisture-removalsystem. As illustrated, the disclosed moisture-removal system 200includes spaced apart a first electrical conductor 210, a secondelectrical conductor 220 and a third electrical conductor 230, eachhaving the same width “w” and each extended along a first direction fora length “L”. The first electrical conductor 210 includes a first broadtop side 214, and a first broad bottom side 212, the second electricalconductor 220 includes a first broad top side 224, and a second broadbottom side 222, and the third electrical conductor 230 includes a firstbroad top side 234 and a second broad bottom side 232. The electricalconductors 210, 220, and 230 are arranged such that the broad bottomside 212 of 210 faces the broad top side 224 of 220 and the broad bottomside 222 of 220 faces the broad top side 234 of 230. A material 201containing moisture is placed in between either the conductors 210 and220 or between 220 and 230. To launch a propagating electromagnetic wavein between these electrical conductors, the height “h₁” between theconductors 210 and 220 and the height “h₂” between conductors 220 and230 along with the width “w” of 210, 220 and 230 must be carefullychosen. However, these values depend on the dielectric constant c of thematerial 201. Further, the value of c depends on the volume percentageof the moisture content present in the material 201. As the dryingprocess progresses and the water is removed from the material 201, valueof c will change. As such, the heights “h₁” and “h₂” as well as thewidth “w” may need to be continually adjusted to avoid any impedancemismatch with the impedance of the feed line from the radio frequencygenerator. Alternately, if the material 201 occupies very small volumeof the space between the conductors 210 and 220 or between 220 and 230,then effect of c on the width “w” and the heights “h₁” and “h₂” can beignored. The propagating electromagnetic wave will break the hydrogenbond of the moisture with the material 201 and once the bond is brokenthe water will flow out of the material easily. To remove the water, themoisture-removal system may include a fan that pushes the air throughthe material 201, according to another aspect of the disclosure. Toprovide air flow, the electrical conductors 210, 220 and 230 areprovided with small holes 215, 225 and 235. The air can be forced orsucked out via a fan. Since the disclosed embodiments are used to breakthe Hydrogen bond of water from the material, and not to evaporate thewater, it is easier to arrange the moisture-removal system and theforced airflow such that the water flows in the direction of gravity.The largest dimension of these holes 215, 225 and 235 must not begreater than one tenth of the operating radio frequency wavelength.However, practical reasons may further limit the size of these holes.For example, a part of material 201 may fall through the holes if theyare too large. Similarly, there is no limit to the minimum size of theholes 215, 225 and 235, as long as the proper airflow can be maintained.The moisture-removal system 200 also includes three electricalconductors 240, 250 and 260 on the first end 201. The electricalconductors are arranged such that the broad bottom side of 240 faces thebroad top side of 250 and broad bottom side of 250 faces broad top sideof 260. The conductor 240 is attached to conductor 210, the conductor250 is attached to the conductor 220 and the conductor 260 is attachedto the conductor 230. At the plane of their attachment, the width of 240is the same as the width of 210, the width of 250 is the same as thewidth of 220 and the width of 260 is the same as the width of 230.However, the widths of 240, 250 and 260 gradually decreases away fromthe plane of attachment. Similarly, at the plane of attachment, thedistance between 240 and 250 is the same as the distance between 210 and220 and the distance 250 and 260 is equal to the distance between 220and 230. However, the distance between 240 and 250 as well as thedistance between 250 and 260 continuously decrease away from the planeof attachment. At the farthest plane of connection the distances betweenthese conductors and their widths become small enough that a standard RFcoaxial connector can be attached such that the center pin of thecoaxial connector is attached to 250 and while 240 and 260 are attachedto the ground of the coaxial connector. The gradual increase in thewidths of 240, 250 and 260 and their inter-spacing provides a gradualtransformation of the coaxial electromagnetic mode to the parallel platetransmission line mode. As such, 240, 250 and 260 together form animpedance or a mode transition network where at every point along thelength of this transition, the widths and their inter-spacing must bechosen such that impedance of the transition remains the same as that ofthe conductors 210, 220 and 230. In most case, the transition(conductors 240, 250 and 260) at the RF input should be sufficient.While at the second end of the moisture-removal system 200, lumped loadscan be connected. However, if needed a similar transition formed byconductors 270, 280 and 290 can be used. The benefit of using thesetransitions, especially at the input, is that it eliminates the need forthe matching network of FIG. 1C.

An alternative embodiment includes a moisture-removal system,comprising: having spaced apart a first and a second and a thirdelectrical conductor extending along a same first direction, eachelectrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides andopposing narrow edges, the broad bottom side of the first electricalconductor facing the broad top side of the second electrical conductorand the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductor facing thebroad top side of the third electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor or between the second and thethird electrical conductor; and at least one first wire with a first endand a second end, the first end of the first wire attached to a firstradio frequency generator and the second end of the first wire attachedto the first end of the second electrical conductor; and at least onesecond wire with a first and a second end, with the first end of thesecond wire attached to the electrical ground of the first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the second wire attached tothe first end of the first electrical conductor; and at least a thirdwire with a first and a second end, with the first end of the third wireattached to the electrical ground of the first radio frequency generatorand the second end of the third wire attached to the first end of thethird electrical conductor. This embodiment can include where thematerial containing moisture makes a direct contact with either of thefirst or the second or the third electrical conductor. This embodimentcan also include where the material containing moisture makes a directcontact with all three first, second and the third electrical conductor.This embodiment can also include where the material containing moisturemakes no contact with any of the first or the second or third electricalconductor. This embodiment can also include where the radio frequency ofthe first radio frequency generator is between 1 MHz to 1 GHz. Thisembodiment can also include where the radio frequency of the first radiofrequency generator is 13.56 MHz. This embodiment can also include wherethe radio frequency power of the radio frequency generator is at least500 watts. This embodiment can also include where the radio frequencypower of the first radio frequency generator is at least 1000 watts.This embodiment can also include where the radio frequency power of thefirst radio frequency generator is at least 1000 watts. This embodimentcan also include where the second and the third wire constitute an outershield of a first coaxial cable and the first wire constitute thecentral conductor of the first coaxial cable.

Another embodiment of a moisture-removal system, includes having spacedapart a first and a second and a third electrical conductor extendingalong a same first direction, each of the first and second and the thirdelectrical conductor comprising opposing broad top and bottom sides andopposing narrow edges, the broad bottom side of the first electricalconductor facing the broad top side of the second electrical conductorand the broad bottom side of the second electrical conductor facing thebroad top side of the third electrical conductor; and a materialcontaining moisture at least partially filling the space between thefirst and the second electrical conductor or the space between thesecond and the third electrical conductor; and a firstinductor-capacitor assembly of at least one inductor and at least onecapacitor, the inductor and the capacitor electrically attached witheach other; the first inductor-capacitor assembly having a first end, asecond end and a third end; and at least one first wire with a first endand a second end, the first end of the first wire attached to a firstradio frequency generator and the second end of the first wire attachedto the first end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly; and at leastone second wire with a first end and a second end, with the first end ofthe second wire attached to the electrical ground of the first radiofrequency generator and the second end of the second wire attached tothe third end of the first inductor-capacitor assembly; and at least athird and a fourth electrical wire, each with a first end and a secondend, the first end of the third wire attached to the second end of thefirst inductor-capacitor assembly, and the second end of the third wireattached to the first end of the second electrical conductor; and thefirst end of the fourth wire is attached to the third end of the firstinductor-capacitor assembly and the second end of the fourth wireattached to the first end of the first electrical conductor and to thefirst end of the third electrical conductor. This embodiment can alsoinclude where the material containing moisture makes a direct contactwith either of the first or the second or the third electricalconductor. This embodiment can also include where the materialcontaining moisture makes a direct contact with all three first, secondand the third electrical conductor. This embodiment can also include thematerial containing moisture makes no contact with any of the first orthe second or third electrical conductor. This embodiment can alsoinclude where the radio frequency of the first radio frequency generatoris between 1 MHz to 1 GHz. This embodiment can also include where theradio frequency of the first radio frequency generator is 13.56 MHz.This embodiment can also include where the radio frequency power of theradio frequency generator is at least 500 watts. This embodiment canalso include where the radio frequency power of the first radiofrequency generator is at least 1000 watts. This embodiment can alsoinclude where the radio frequency power of the first radio frequencygenerator is at least 1000 watts. This embodiment can also include wherethe first wire is a central conductor of a first coaxial cable and thesecond wire is the outer shield of the first coaxial cable and the thirdwire is a central conductor of a second coaxial cable and the fourthwire is an outer shield of the second coaxial cable.

Yet another alternative embodiment of a moisture-removal system includesa first assembly of having spaced apart a first, a second and a thirdelectrical conductor, each with a first end and a second end, extendingalong a same first direction, each conductor comprising opposing broadtop and bottom sides and opposing narrow edges, the broad bottom side ofthe first electrical conductor facing the broad top side of the secondelectrical conductor and the broad bottom side of the second electricalconductor facing the broad top side of the third electrical conductor;and a material containing moisture at least partially filling the spacebetween the first and the second electrical conductor or the spacebetween the second and the third electrical conductor; and a secondassembly of having spaced apart a fourth, a fifth and a sixth electricalconductor, each with a first end and a second end, extending long thesame first direction and comprising opposing broad top and bottom sidesand opposing narrow edges, the broad bottom side of the fourthelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the fifth electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the fifth electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the sixth electrical conductor; and thedistance between the opposing narrow edges of each of the fourth, fifthand sixth electrical conductor gradually varying and the spacing betweenthe fourth, fifth and sixth conductor gradually varying such that thesecond end of the fourth conductor is as wide as the first end of thefirst conductor, the second end of the fifth conductor is as wide as thefirst end of the second conductor and the second end of the sixthconductor is as wide as the first end of the third electrical conductor,and the spacing between the second ends of the fourth and the fifthconductor is equal to the spacing between the first ends of the firstand the second conductor, and the spacing between the second ends of thefifth and sixth conductors is equal to the spacing between the firstends of the second and third conductors; and the distance between theopposing narrow edges of the fourth, fifth and sixth conductor at theirfirst ends and the spacing between the fourth, fifth and sixth conductoris such that a first coaxial connector of suitable size can be mountedon these conductors with the outer ground of the connector making acontact with the fourth and sixth conductor and the center pin of thecoaxial connector making a contact with the fifth conductor; and thesecond end of the fourth conductor attached to the first end of thefirst conductor, the second end of the fifth conductor attached to thefirst end of the second conductor and the second end of the sixthconductor attached to the first end of the third conductor; and at leastone first coaxial cable with a first end and a second end, the first endof the first coaxial cable is attached to a first radio frequencygenerator and the second end of the first coaxial cable is attached tothe first coaxial connector. This embodiment can also include where thematerial containing moisture makes a direct contact with any of thefirst or the second or the third electrical conductor. This embodimentcan also include where the material containing moisture makes a directcontact with each of the first, the second and the third electricalconductor. This embodiment can also include where the materialcontaining moisture makes no contact with any of the first, the secondor third electrical conductor. This embodiment can also include wherethe radio frequency of the first radio frequency generator is between 1MHz to 1 GHz. This embodiment can also include where the radio frequencyof the first radio frequency generator is 13.56 MHz. This embodiment canalso include where the radio frequency power of the radio frequencygenerator is at least 500 watts. This embodiment can also include wherethe radio frequency power of the first radio frequency generator is atleast 1000 watts. This embodiment can also include where the radiofrequency power of the first radio frequency generator is at least 1000watts.

This embodiment can also include which also includes a third assembly ofhaving spaced apart a seventh, an eighth and a ninth electricalconductor, each with a first end and a second end, extending along thesame first direction and comprising opposing broad top and bottom sidesand opposing narrow edges, the broad bottom side of the seventhelectrical conductor facing the broad top side of the eighth electricalconductor and the broad bottom side of the eighth electrical conductorfacing the broad top side of the ninth electrical conductor; and thedistance between the opposing narrow edges of each of the seventh,eighth and ninth electrical conductor gradually varying and the spacingbetween the seventh, eighth and the ninth conductor gradually varyingsuch that the second end of the first conductor is as wide as the firstend of the seventh conductor, the first end of the eighth conductor isas wide as the second end of the second conductor and the first end ofthe ninth conductor is as wide as the second end of the third electricalconductor, and the spacing between the first ends of the seventh and theeighth conductor is equal to the spacing between the second ends of thefirst and the second conductor, and the spacing between the first endsof the eighth and ninth conductors is equal to the spacing between thesecond ends of the second and third conductors; and the distance betweenthe opposing narrow edges of the seventh, eighth and ninth conductor attheir second ends and the spacing between the seventh, eighth and ninthconductor is such that a second coaxial connector of suitable size canbe mounted on these conductors with the outer ground of the secondcoaxial connector making a contact with the seventh and ninth conductorand the center pin of the second coaxial connector making a contact withthe eighth conductor; and the first end of the seventh conductorattached to the second end of the first conductor, the first end of theeighth conductor attached to the second end of the second conductor andthe first end of the sixth conductor attached to the second end of thethird conductor. This embodiment can also include where the materialcontaining moisture makes a direct contact with any of the first or thesecond or the third electrical conductor. This embodiment can alsoinclude where the material containing moisture makes a direct contactwith each of the first, the second and the third electrical conductor.This embodiment can also include where the material containing moisturemakes no contact with any of the first, the second or third electricalconductor. This embodiment can also include the radio frequency of thefirst radio frequency generator is between 1 MHz to 1 GHz. Thisembodiment can also include where the radio frequency of the first radiofrequency generator is 13.56 MHz. This embodiment can also include wherethe radio frequency power of the radio frequency generator is at least500 watts. This embodiment can also include where the radio frequencypower of the first radio frequency generator is at least 1000 watts.This embodiment can also include where the radio frequency power of thefirst radio frequency generator is at least 1000 watts.

Another embodiment of a moisture-removal system includes a firstassembly of electrical conductors, each extending along a same firstdirection with each conductor having a first and a second end and eachcomprising opposing broad top and bottom sides and opposing first andsecond narrow edges, the conductors of the first assembly arranged in asame second direction such that the second narrow edge of the firstelectrical conductor facing the first narrow edge of the secondelectrical conductor and the second narrow edge of the second electricalconductor facing the first narrow edge of the third electrical conductorand so on, and a first conducting platform having a length not smallerthan any of the conductor of the first assembly and a width not smallerthan the distance from the first narrow edge of the first electricalconductor to the second narrow edge of the last electrical conductor ofthe first assembly, the first assembly of the electrical conductorsplaced above the first conducting platform such that the broad bottomside of each conductor of the first assembly facing the conductingplatform, and a material containing moisture at least partially fillingthe space between the first assembly of the electrical conductors andthe first conducting platform; and a plurality of electric cables andwires that connect the first end of each conductor of the first assemblyto a first radio frequency power source and the first conductingplatform to the common electrical ground of the same first radiofrequency power source. This embodiment can also include where the firstconducting platform comprises moving plates or rails that push thematerial containing moisture along the second direction. This embodimentcan also include where each electrical conductor of the first assemblyhave at least one hole from its broad bottom side to its broad top side.This embodiment can also include where the first assembly comprises atleast four electrical conductors. This embodiment can also include wherethe first assembly comprises at least three electrical conductors. Thisembodiment can also include where the first assembly comprises at leasttwo electrical conductors. This embodiment can also include where thematerial containing moisture is a harvest crop. This embodiment can alsoinclude where the material containing moisture is a waste materialincluding manure. This embodiment can also include where the materialcontaining moisture is a construction aggregate material.

Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been describedherein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are notintended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should beappreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments thathave been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerousadditional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions,shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for usewith disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may beutilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.

Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognize that thesubject matter hereof may comprise fewer features than illustrated inany individual embodiment described above. The embodiments describedherein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways inwhich the various features of the subject matter hereof may be combined.Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations offeatures; rather, the various embodiments can comprise a combination ofdifferent individual features selected from different individualembodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art.Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can beimplemented in other embodiments even when not described in suchembodiments unless otherwise noted.

Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specificcombination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can alsoinclude a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter ofeach other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features withother dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposedherein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended.

Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such thatno subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicitdisclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above isfurther limited such that no claims included in the documents areincorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference ofdocuments above is yet further limited such that any definitionsprovided in the documents are not incorporated by reference hereinunless expressly included herein.

For purposes of interpreting the claims, it is expressly intended thatthe provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) are not to be invoked unless thespecific terms “means for” or “step for” are recited in a claim.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A moisture-removal system comprising: twoor more subsystems each having: a first electrical conductor and asecond electrical conductor extending along a same first direction, thefirst electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor eachcomprising opposing broad top and bottom sides, wherein the broad bottomside of the first electrical conductor is facing the broad top side ofthe second electrical conductor, the first electrical conductor and thesecond electrical conductor being separated by a space adapted toreceive a material containing moisture; and a radio frequency generatoroperably couplable to the first electrical conductor and the secondelectrical conductor via a first plurality of wires, the radio frequencygenerator configured to be tunable to a radio wavelength as determinedby a composition and a moisture content level of the material containingmoisture; and a first conducting platform parallel with and positionedbelow the two or more subsystems, the first conducting platform having aplurality of plates configured to transport the material containingmoisture across the two or more subsystems in a cascaded manner.
 2. Themoisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein for each subsystem, at leastone of the first electrical conductor and the second electricalconductor contains at least one hole having a largest dimension equal toor less than one tenth of the radio wavelength of the radio frequencygenerator.
 3. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein for eachsubsystem, at least one of the first electrical conductor and the secondelectrical conductor contains at least one hole having a largestdimension equal to or less than one twentieth of the radio wavelength ofthe radio frequency generator.
 4. The moisture-removal system of claim1, wherein for each subsystem, at least one of the first electricalconductor and the second electrical conductor contains at least one holehaving a largest dimension equal to or less than one fiftieth of theradio wavelength of the radio frequency generator.
 5. Themoisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein for each subsystem, at leastone of the first electrical conductor and the second electricalconductor contains at least one hole having a largest dimension equal toor less than one hundredth of the radio wavelength of the radiofrequency generator.
 6. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, whereineach subsystem further comprises an impedance matching networkingoperably couplable to the first electrical conductor and the secondelectrical conductor via a second plurality of wires.
 7. Themoisture-removal system of claim 6, wherein the impedance matchingnetwork of each subsystem comprises at least one variable inductor andat least one variable capacitor configured to operate in tandem.
 8. Themoisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein each subsystem furthercomprises an inductor-capacitor assembly having at least one inductorand at least one capacitor, the inductor-capacitor assembly operablycouplable to the radio frequency generator via a third plurality ofwires.
 9. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein each subsystemfurther comprises a common electrical grounding system operablycouplable to both the radio frequency generator and the secondelectrical conductor via a fourth plurality of wires.
 10. Themoisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein the first conductingplatform has a length greater than or equal to both a length of thefirst electrical conductor and a length of the second electricalconductor.
 11. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein the firstconducting platform has a width greater than or equal to both a width ofthe first electrical conductor and a width of the second electricalconductor.
 12. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein thematerial containing moisture is continuously in direct contact with atleast one of the first electrical conductor and the second electricalconductor of each subsystem.
 13. The moisture-removal system of claim 1,wherein the material containing moisture makes no contact with both thefirst electrical conductor and the second electrical conductor of eachsubsystem.
 14. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein for eachsubsystem, the radio frequency generates operates at a radio frequencybetween 1 MHz and 1 GHz.
 15. The moisture-removal system of claim 1,wherein for each subsystem, the radio frequency generator operates at aradio frequency of 13.56 MHz.
 16. The moisture-removal system of claim1, wherein for each subsystem, the radio frequency generator operates ata radio frequency power of at least 500 watts.
 17. The moisture-removalsystem of claim 1, wherein for each subsystem, the radio frequencygenerator operates at a radio frequency power of at least 1000 watts.18. The moisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein each subsystemfurther comprises at least one first coaxial cable operably couplable toeach of the radio frequency generator, the first electrical conductor,and the second electrical conductor, the at least one first coaxialcable having a central conductor and an outer shield.
 19. Themoisture-removal system of claim 1, wherein the first conductingplatform is configured to transport multiple materials containingmoisture simultaneously in a cascaded manner.
 20. The moisture-removalsystem of claim 1, wherein the material containing moisture is a harvestcrop, a waste material, or a construction aggregate material.